Il Divo Releases A Musical Affair, Their First Album Of Broadway Songs, On November 5th

Sony Columbia Records - 09/05/2013

NEW YORK, Sept. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Il Divo, the record-breaking classical crossover group who has sold more than 26 million albums worldwide, is set to release their 6th studio album A Musical Affair, on Syco/Columbia Records on November 5th. The album release will raise the curtains on a limited run of live Broadway performances at The Marquis Theater with special guest, Heather Headley, beginning November 7, 2013. Tickets including VIP Meet & Greet packages will be available for pre-sale on Monday, September 9 via ILDIVO.com and Broadway Direct. American Express® cardmembers can purchase advance tickets beginning Monday, September 9 at 10AM EDT through Sunday, September 15 at 10PM EDT. For general on-sale, tickets will be available starting Monday, September 16th via Ticketmaster.com and at the Marquis Box Office on October 28. The album is currently available for pre-order at Amazon here.

A Musical Affair is Il Divo's first compilation of songs inspired by Broadway shows such as Phantom of the Opera, Carousel and West Side Story and features stellar duet partners Barbra Streisand, Kristin Chenoweth, Nicole Scherzinger, Heather Headley and Michael Ball. The album showcases Il Divo's signature romantic and emotional interpretation of heartfelt classics like "Some Enchanted Evening" (South Pacific), "Bring Him Home," (Les Miserables), "Tonight," (West Side Story), and more. Il Divo has also provided new arrangements for these much-loved songs, as well as invited familiar Broadway and pop artists to appear on certain tracks as their duet partners. These top musicians lend their talent in songs like "Music of the Night" (Phantom of the Opera) – LIVE duet with Barbra Streisand; "All I Ask Of You" (Phantom Of The Opera) – duet with Kristin Chenoweth; "Memory" (Cats) – duet with Nicole Scherzinger; and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" (The Lion King) – duet with Heather Headley.

"I first met Il Divo when we performed together for some special Christmas shows in New York in 2009, so it has been wonderful to finally record together," says Kristin Chenoweth. "'All I Ask Of You' is such a beautiful song and I'm thrilled at how our version has turned out."

On November 7th,Il Divo kicks off a limited engagement of live concerts at New York's Marquis Theater, marking the first time the four members will sing together on the Broadway stage."Il Divo - A Musical Affair: The Greatest Songs of Broadway Live," will intertwine the most famous songs from Broadway musicals with the individual theatrical experiences of Carlos, David, Urs and Sebastien. In addition, Tony and Grammy Award Winner Heather Headley will be a featured guest for the entire run. "I'm looking forward to working with Il Divo," says Headley. "I'm excited to be back in New York, on Broadway, and singing some of the best of Broadway." In addition to the November 7 debut, Il Divo's Marquis show dates include November 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13. The quartet members are no strangers to musical theatre; Carlos was cast as Marius in Les Miserables when the show first premiered in Spain in 1993, while David played Rodolfo in Broadway's La Boheme in 2003, which subsequently garnered seven Tony nominations.

"When we recorded 'Love Changes Everything' together we had an absolute blast in the studio," says Michael Ball. "They're really great guys with a lot of talent and for one day I felt like a member of Il Divo. It was a pleasure working with four such amazing voices and I'm very proud of the result."

Producer James Nederlander comments, "Il Divo is a natural fit for Broadway. They are a dynamic group of young singers that cross over to all different audiences."

"Bringing a show to New York City to play in a Broadway theater is going to be like no other Il Divo experience," say Il Divo member David Miller. "Being in the middle of Times Square, the home of Broadway musicals, will help us to raise our bar. We will have the spirit of innumerable legendary performances all around us. And having our name up in lights at Broadway's Marquis theatre will be an absolute thrill. I can't wait!"

"This is going to be a fantastic surprise," says Carlos Marin, the Spanish baritone. "I think the fans are going to be really, really pleased – we've got well-known songs here, but we have a new sound and concept for them, and being on Broadway will also be a chance to try something really new and theatrical for us."

Sebastien Izambard is looking forward to the closer proximity of a Broadway house. "We are used to touring in big arenas, but here there's an opportunity to have more intimacy with an audience."

Urs Buhler says, "We give a different twist to all these songs, just purely from the fact that songs that were written as solo numbers are sung by the four of us. We've managed to create a version of these songs that is different, and I hope we've done these great songs justice."

ABOUT IL DIVOIl Divo is the world's first and most successful classical crossover group. The foursome have sold over 26 million albums worldwide, achieved over 50 number one records, received 160 gold and platinum sales awards in over 33 countries and staged four groundbreaking world tours. The international quartet comprises of tenor Urs Buhler of Switzerland, baritone Carlos Marin of Spain, pop artist Sebastien Izambard of France and tenor David Miller from the United States. As Il Divo first came to fruition in 2003, this year's album and complementary concert series marks a milestone for the four singers as they commemorate the success of a 10-year career together.

ABOUT THE NEDERLANDER ORGANIZATIONJAMES L. NEDERLANDER (Producer). President of The Nederlander Organization, Jimmy leads a family business that began in 1912 and now encompasses every aspect of the live entertainment industry from venue ownership and management, theatrical producing and concert presentation, and patron services. With venues in New York, Chicago, Durham, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and London, Jimmy is a prolific producer whose various producing credits include the upcoming Romeo & Juliet with Orlando Bloom, Kinky Boots, I'll Eat You Last with Bette Midler, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, Evita, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, Lewis Black: Running On Empty, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, West Side Story, Next to Normal, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Million Dollar Quartet, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin, Movin' Out. Jimmy is also one of the country's most astute presenters of headline talent such as Adele, Billy Joel, Harry Connick Jr., Robin Williams, Neil Diamond, U2, Paul McCartney, Florence and the Machine, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, and the Rolling Stones to mention a few. In addition to being a business innovator, Jimmy is also a committed leader and philanthropist who sits on the Board of Trustees of many leading organizations.

A MUSICAL AFFAIR – THE BRAND NEW ALBUM1. Memory (feat. Nicole Scherzinger)2. Can You Feel The Love Tonight (feat. Heather Headley) 3. Bring Him Home4. Tonight5. All I Ask Of You (feat. Kristen Chenoweth)6. Some Enchanted Evening7. Who Can I Turn To?8. You'll Never Walk Alone9. If Ever I Would Leave You10. Love Changes Everything (Michael Ball and Il Divo)11. The Music Of The Night (Barbra Streisand with Il Divo)